Finals

Ah finals.  A time for students across the country to lock themselves up and throw away the key.  This is perhaps one of the simplest times of the year.  As a student your entire purpose for the next 3 weeks is to stuff as much "knowledge" into your brain as possible and then vomit it all over the examination.  Just try not to burst before it is all over.

Many find this an incredibly stressful time.  Many will not survive without a catastrophic episode.  Others may simply not survive.  It seems that no matter how the evaluation is distributed it all comes down to this.  perhaps writing finals will drive you crazy.  Or maybe you must be crazy just to put yourself through this.  perhaps, the most terrifying crazies are those who are looking forward to it.  perhaps  I am looking forward to it...

You see I find finals offer a certain kind of relaxation.  Almost like running on auto pilot.  There are far fewer time commitments.  All you need to do is wake up and begin learning, ah finally some learning.  No long lab sessions, no lectures, no assignment deadlines.  Finally I can sit down and learn something, instead of just trying to get some "work" done.  Over the next 3 weeks most of my life falls into the free time category and with this free time I can finally do what students are meant to do which is learn.

With all this free time why do I choose to "learn"?  Well, I like to learn.  I would be lying if I said I didn`t, and I guess that makes sense because what student should be is a professional "learner".  The reason for learning is to further ones knowledge, understanding, reason, and application.  The ends of which are difficult to quantify.

The world attempts to focus on the quantification.  How much do you know? 60, 80, 90, 70, 100.  What is it that you know?  Well I know that those are numbers, and I understand where you are trying to go with these numbers.  But it wont work.  You can study for the numbers and you will probably get them, but in the end do you even know what the numbers mean.  I have given up on the numbers.  No, I quite on the numbers.

I havn`t even looked at my midterm marks assignment marks.  In the end they are all pretty hollow.  This time I just study for the hell of it, because I feel like it.  The world will always try to find the bottom line, but my "knowledge" is rising not falling.  So I wont be found on the bottom line, I will be drawing it.


Training shall be based solely on feel,
while racing shall be guided by sensations and instinct.



Cuylar Conly